Episode 7334

Extended Summary

Gemma is trying to convince Nikau to join her at the gym but he prefers to laze around on the beach. Tane pulls up in his car and offers to shout them breakfast. Nikau happily accepts and gets in the car with him but Gemma says she has to get to her workout. At the Diner, Marilyn serves Ari and asks him about Tane. Ari says he’s gone and that’s a good thing. Gemma arrives and tells Ari that Tane’s ignored him telling him to stay away. Ari wants to know what he’s up to but Gemma says she only told him so he doesn’t wig out when he sees him.

At the surf club, Ziggy comments to Dean that Ben and Maggie have been gone a long time and wonders if maybe they listened and Ben is moving his stuff back into their room. Ben and Maggie turn up and ask to speak to her upstairs. Sensing it’s not good news, Ziggy tries to say she’s helping Dean with surf lessons but Dean says she has to do this and he’ll be there when she gets back. Upstairs in Salt, Ben and Maggie tell Ziggy they’re separating, Ziggy is shattered and says they should ignore what she said and carry on living together. Ben says she was right and they were stuck while Maggie suggests time apart could give them perspective. Ziggy offers to tell Coco but Ben says he’ll do it and moves away from them. Maggie says she’s sorry.

Tane and Nikau are eating near the beach and playing loud music. John comes past and warns them about dropping litter and noise pollution. Nikau explains that he’s Marilyn’s husband and Ari got him kicked out of home. He says they’d move out but everywhere’s too expensive. Tane promises Nikau won’t go hungry again. Mackenzie comes past and Tane jokingly accuses her of being upset he turned her down. Mackenzie says she had the future mapped out – marriage, kids, him taking her mother shopping – and says he’ll never know. Later, Tane and Nikau play pool at the surf club. John looks at them suspiciously, despite Dean expressing doubts about it turning into a brawl, and his worries increase when Ari and Gemma turn up. Ari demands to know Tane’s plans and Tane says he’s planning to get lunch. Gemma tries to get Ari to go to the gym while John reminds them it’s a family club. Tane gets a text and says he has business to take care of; he tells Nikau to stay there but says he’ll see them all later.

Ari and Gemma indulge in a boxing session at the gym. Ari isn’t happy Tane’s back in town but Gemma says he’s family. Ari thinks he’s up to something, saying he doesn’t learn from his mistakes and will bail at the first sign of trouble, but Gemma thinks he’s good for Nikau and reiterates that he’ll always be family. Meanwhile, Marilyn finds Tane outside her house looking in the window. He explains he’s looking for Nikau and confirms he’s back in town but doesn’t need to crash at hers again. Marilyn asks if Ari knows he’s back. Tane guesses Ari’s been talking about him and says he’s not the bad guy Ari makes him out to be. Nikau arrives and Tane goes off with him. Nikau wonders what Tane’s up to and Tane says he’ll know as soon as it’s locked in.

At the surf club, Ziggy tells Dean about how calm Ben and Maggie were. Justin arrives and says he has good news. Dean says it’s not the time. Justin tells Ziggy she’s passed her apprenticeship but Ziggy just walks away. Dean chides Justin for not listening and follows her. Justin and John wonder what that was about. Upstairs in Salt, Maggie briefly chats to Coco before handing the phone back to Ben, who tells her not to worry. Mackenzie stops by the table and says to yell out if she can do anything. Ben says he’ll get his things and move out to a caravan. Maggie tells him to use the money from the pier sale to stay at a hotel, noting it might be the last thing she gets to say as his wife.

John and Justin see Ben and Maggie coming downstairs and tell them about Ziggy leaving upset and Dean going after her. Maggie says she’ll go see her since Ben talked to Coco. After she’s gone, Ben explains that they’re separating and he’s moving to a motel for now. John jokes that he could have had the van next to him for company. Justin tells him about Ziggy passing her apprenticeship. Outside the Diner flat, Dean tries to convince Ziggy that some space might do Ben good. Ziggy replies that if someone cheats and they argue and move out, then the next step is divorce, followed by a divorce party and kissing a random. Dean says they’re way off that but Ziggy insists there’s zero chance of her parents getting back together. Maggie has come up the stairs during the latter part of the conversation and calls out to her. Ziggy walks past her and Maggie follows.

Maggie joins Ziggy on the pier and jokingly suggests they could end up sad and single together. She says she had over twenty years of love and fun with Ben and wouldn’t change any of it, and still loves him. She also tells her not to let it ruin things between her and Dean, who is watching her from the balcony, since small things can become big things. Ziggy goes back to the flat and notes Dean must hate her. Dean says he knows she’s not angry with him, he’s just a convenient punch bag. Ziggy says that’s not fair on him and she knows what Ben and Maggie are going through but had an amazing guy to help her get through it: Ben and Maggie have always had each other.

Gemma finds Ari on the balcony at Salt and asks if he’s going to sit there all night. Ari says seeing Tane and Nikau together worries him, since it’s just like how he and Mikaere were and he fears Nikau’s on the same path. Gemma tells him not to just remember the bad stuff and notes they got up to mischief but Ari says he didn’t spend eight years in jail and bury Mikaere because of mischief. Inside, Ben tells Justin it’s his first night as a single man in twenty years, as Gemma brings them drink. Nikau and Tane come in for beer and pizza. Ari comes over and asks Tane his plans. Tane gives Nikau money and says he’ll go check out the gym. Ari tries to quiz Nikau but he says he wouldn’t tell him if he knew and Gemma tells him to go and ask Tane. Ari goes to the gym where Tane is pressing weights. Ari tells him he won’t win but Tane says he’s fixed things for Gemma and Nikau, so if it’s a competition he’s already won.

Next morning, Ari finds Nikau on the beach. He promises he’s not there to have a go and accepts he’s been coming down hard on him. He suggests they go for breakfast to try and sort it. Meanwhile, Gemma finds Tane sitting on his car near the Palmer house. He nods to a nearby house with a new Leased sign outside and says he’s the one that’s leased it, asking what she thinks of their new home. Gemma looks undecided.